Summer League 2022

Fishy1

Head Mason
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Nov 10, 2006
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Love summer league. First possession: shot clock violation and two hairballs.
 

128

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May 4, 2019
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Worst thing about summer league is the inane commentary.
 

Imbricus

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Jan 26, 2017
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So Herro is in the running for a max contract? Is that what they were saying? Hmm ...
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
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Kab did a aTL impression in his first stint, with two lob dunks and some great rim defense
 

SteveF

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Jul 14, 2005
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Davison doesn't look that small out there, surprisingly. He looks athletic enough. He just doesn't seem to have the ability to create shots for himself or others with dribble penetration. Maybe that's a handle thing. Not to bag on a second round pick, but I wouldn't be optimistic about his chances for a lengthy NBA career. But I've watched him for about 5-6 minutes so... My opinion isn't worth much.

Hauser is always going to be a one trick pony, so I expect him to look not great in the summer league context without anyone on the Cs roster who can create shots.
 

Imbricus

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The ease with which players are blowing by Hauser isn't encouraging. Starting to wonder if Ryan might be the Hauser we were looking for.
 

TripleOT

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JD did get into the lane and set up his teammates. He’s plenty athletic enough to learn and implement all those things good drive and dish guys do
 

128

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Begarin's outside shot isn't dropping, but he's getting to the line a ton, and his free throws look good.
 

TripleOT

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If the NBA doesn’t adopt a platoon system, Williams is going to have a lot of trouble sticking in the league. He’s a turnstile-y big.

Begarin is a bundue of energy - Nesmith without a jump shot (aka Nesmith). I don’t think it’s going to be this season but as his offensive game matured, he’s going to find a place in the NBA.

Matt Ryan is strus-y.
 
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DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
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The ease with which players are blowing by Hauser isn't encouraging. Starting to wonder if Ryan might be the Hauser we were looking for.
Meh. They know what they have with him. When he gets minutes he's likely going to have 3 or 4 pretty good defenders out there with him.
 

Imbricus

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I thought Davison looked good, considering his age, and apart from his so-so shooting (and only 1 turnover against six assists). Ryan seemed to have a more in-rhythm 3-point shot than Hauser, but his defense was terrible (and Hauser's defense looked better in the second half than in the first). Begarin looks like he needs another year abroad. Williams was easily the most brilliant passer on the floor, with some excellent thread-the-needle passes, but ooh -- what a black hole on defense.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
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JD did get into the lane and set up his teammates. He’s plenty athletic enough to learn and implement all those things good drive and dish guys do
Athletic guys also always need to figure out shifting gears, playing at different speeds. Can’t just blow by everyone at this level.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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Wow Williams is a joy to watch when he passes the ball. He had at least 4 great passes today. He's going to become a fan favorite - in some overseas league where he will end up. And hopefully, he'll work on his jumper too.

Davison looked credible running PnR given that I'm sure he hasn't run a lot of it. Maybe PP can teach him some ball handling drills and he'll also work on his jumper.

Cabin Jelly (+9) and Begarin (+4) were only Cs who weren't negative. If Begarin made a leap, he didn't show it today. Hard to evaluate Cabin Jelly in summer league - box score has him down for 0 blocks but I thought he got at least a couple early in the game - but one would think that some rim protection + rim running + 40% 3P% would be something some NBA would want to try to develop.
 

TripleOT

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Cabin Jelly (+9) and Begarin (+4) were only Cs who weren't negative. If Begarin made a leap, he didn't show it today. Hard to evaluate Cabin Jelly in summer league - box score has him down for 0 blocks but I thought he got at least a couple early in the game - but one would think that some rim protection + rim running + 40% 3P% would be something some NBA would want to try to develop.
That NBA team should be the Celtics. Kab is a TL type, so developing him next to TL, with Horford’s tutelage, makes sense. I really don’t get the Luke Kornet signing, since the Celtics really need a big who has enough veteran experience that he can step in for either Rob Williams or Al, and they also should be working on a development big.
 

Jimbodandy

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around the way
Begarin looks the same as this time last year. Clearly not ready and really doesn't seem to have improved. Davison is bouncy and athletic as advertised. Neither is ready for NBA minutes, not on a team that's trying to win anyway. Only Celtic that looked like a passable NBA player to me was Hauser. The Ryan shots were nice, but I think that the chair provides better defense.
 

Eddie Jurak

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That NBA team should be the Celtics. Kab is a TL type, so developing him next to TL, with Horford’s tutelage, makes sense. I really don’t get the Luke Kornet signing, since the Celtics really need a big who has enough veteran experience that he can step in for either Rob Williams or Al, and they also should be working on a development big.
Other than "finishes lobs," I don't really see the comparison. (Also, Kab has some NBA experience and is - slightly - older than TL.)
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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That NBA team should be the Celtics. Kab is a TL type, so developing him next to TL, with Horford’s tutelage, makes sense. I really don’t get the Luke Kornet signing, since the Celtics really need a big who has enough veteran experience that he can step in for either Rob Williams or Al, and they also should be working on a development big.
I need to see a full SL of Kab to consider him a TL type (guy full of untapped talent). I was surprised to see how easily the Heat players were unchallenged by him at the rim, figured he'd have a few blocks there.

IDK on the Luke signing either. One criticism of Brad's is his end-of-the-roster-building skills have been pretty meh so far.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
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what part of Fitts/Stauskas/Morgan/Kornet/ Thomas/Ryan wasn't "meh" to end last season?
How about when compared to 10-15 for the rest of the league?

I’m on record hoping for a vet wing and big but in general I’m willing to cut him some slack here. He’s used his 1st round picks— who might otherwise occupy those end of bench spots—to appreciably improve the top half the roster.
 
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JM3

often quoted
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Dec 14, 2019
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If IME will only play 9 guys, there's not a lot of advantage to spending resources for better end of the bench guys.

It is amazing how deep the Clippers are.
 

benhogan

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How about when compared to 10-15 for the rest of the league?
the C's have probably run out the worst deep bench (13-15 + 2 two-way) for numerous years. Nothing has been developed or really usable for a while

Brad has been a very good Pres/GM. He just didn't identify usable deep bench players last year and that's where we are at the moment

the last two teams we faced in the playoffs did a very good job with it last season
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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Begarin looks the same as this time last year. Clearly not ready and really doesn't seem to have improved. Davison is bouncy and athletic as advertised. Neither is ready for NBA minutes, not on a team that's trying to win anyway. Only Celtic that looked like a passable NBA player to me was Hauser. The Ryan shots were nice, but I think that the chair provides better defense.
If Begarin didn't improve at all over last summer, he's never sniffing the NBA anyway. He turns 20 in August, so stalling is a bad sign.

I didn't see the game nor does 1 games really show much. Hopefully he has actually improved.
 

benhogan

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If Begarin didn't improve at all over last summer, he's never sniffing the NBA anyway. He turns 20 in August, so stalling is a bad sign.

I didn't see the game nor does 1 games really show much. Hopefully he has actually improved.
I watched and @Jimbodandy is spot on after 1 game.

We'll have to see after 4 games but Begarin/Ryan were turnstiles against G-league level guards/wings. The Heats SL team had already played a few games in the California Classic & were better organized, so it's too early to grade anyone
 

128

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I watched and @Jimbodandy is spot on after 1 game.

We'll have to see after 4 games but Begarin/Ryan were turnstiles against G-league level guards/wings. The Heats SL team had already played a few games in the California Classic & were better organized, so it's too early to grade anyone
Undrafted guard Marcus Garrett looks like he could be the Heat discovery. I'm a little surprised the C's didn't Brodric Thomas on the spot yesterday after he proved incapable of dribbling by Garrett.
 

TripleOT

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Other than "finishes lobs," I don't really see the comparison. (Also, Kab has some NBA experience and is - slightly - older than TL.)
I thought he defended the rim pretty well at the start of the game, even though he wasn’t credited with any blocks. As things started to break down for the Boston defense against the more coordinated Heat attack, he wasn’t as effective
 

Eddie Jurak

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I thought he defended the rim pretty well at the start of the game, even though he wasn’t credited with any blocks. As things started to break down for the Boston defense against the more coordinated Heat attack, he wasn’t as effective
Shot blocking, lob finishing bigs have been in the league for a while. For me Rob is in a different category - for example in his ability to contest and block outside shots, including threes.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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I thought he defended the rim pretty well at the start of the game, even though he wasn’t credited with any blocks. As things started to break down for the Boston defense against the more coordinated Heat attack, he wasn’t as effective
Turns 25 in a month too. Not sure how much untapped potential is left, though he has improved a bit. I think it's more about how his improvements will translate to the NBA. He's also the exact type of player to dominate the G league. Bigs with any type of skill usually do.

I was hoping Davison and Begarin would get the 2 way deals. Davison already did. They have age and athleticism on their side. They have legit ceilings, even if their chance of reaching it is minimal at best. The last few years, the C's have filled the spots with players on the older side with limited athleticism and/or limited length (Waters 6'2 wingspan, 7'9.5 standing reach compared to Davison's 6'6 and 8'3.5).

I think Begarin is still the front runner for the 2nd spot despite what sounds like a bad game 1. If it's more of the same in game 2 on, that's in doubt. He also doesn't turn 20 until 8/7, so another year abroad wouldn't hurt. It's an interesting spot if he hasn't shown any progress. Would his development be better off with hands on training from C's personal or was his lack of development more on him? On the plus side, he was 9/10 from the line after going 49/87 .563 last year in France. Looking at a players FT% as a 19 year old doesn't really tell us much though.

I wouldn't mind seeing Williams dominate in Maine either. While he isn't likely one of them, there is a place for turnstiles in the NBA if they bring enough offensive prowess.
 

128

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Turns 25 in a month too. Not sure how much untapped potential is left, though he has improved a bit. I think it's more about how his improvements will translate to the NBA. He's also the exact type of player to dominate the G league. Bigs with any type of skill usually do.

I was hoping Davison and Begarin would get the 2 way deals. Davison already did. They have age and athleticism on their side. They have legit ceilings, even if their chance of reaching it is minimal at best. The last few years, the C's have filled the spots with players on the older side with limited athleticism and/or limited length (Waters 6'2 wingspan, 7'9.5 standing reach compared to Davison's 6'6 and 8'3.5).

I think Begarin is still the front runner for the 2nd spot despite what sounds like a bad game 1. If it's more of the same in game 2 on, that's in doubt. He also doesn't turn 20 until 8/7, so another year abroad wouldn't hurt. It's an interesting spot if he hasn't shown any progress. Would his development be better off with hands on training from C's personal or was his lack of development more on him? On the plus side, he was 9/10 from the line after going 49/87 .563 last year in France. Looking at a players FT% as a 19 year old doesn't really tell us much though.

I wouldn't mind seeing Williams dominate in Maine either. While he isn't likely one of them, there is a place for turnstiles in the NBA if they bring enough offensive prowess.
For me, Begarin's apparent lack of an outside shot was the most concerning part of Game 1. He attacked the basket well, got to the line and made 9 of 10 free throws, and he was fine on the boards. But he didn't look confident on his jumpers, and a couple of them were way off the mark.

It's dangerous to judge any player on a single game. Let's hope that was an aberration.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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Shot blocking, lob finishing bigs have been in the league for a while. For me Rob is in a different category - for example in his ability to contest and block outside shots, including threes.
Rob is also elite at the whole shot blocking, lob finishing thing. I think he's still in that category of player, just near the top of the list. At times, he's flashed some great vision too but it hasn't been a big part of his game. It still makes him stand out from other pogo sticks though.

I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on Kabengele but he's most likely closer to Tacko Fall or Bruno Fernando than Luke Kornet.
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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It wasn't great, but part of what thinned it out was upgrades to the top 9 that... weren't quite enough.
At the moment Brad is finishing off the roster, it's not easy since there will rarely be minutes offered and the salary will be an NBA minimum (for 13-15 + 2-ways)... Both GSW and Miami did an exceptional job with that last season. Several other playoff teams have been adept at it. Boston/Brad was unexceptional at it, hence the "meh" description

Parker didn't even last as salary ballast and was tossed out of the league after Boston cut him. The ones used for upgrades to the 9 were flotsam to make salaries work

I wouldn't mind seeing Williams dominate in Maine either. While he isn't likely one of them, there is a place for turnstiles in the NBA if they bring enough offensive prowess.
If Begarin can play better D, after watching some video today, he has 2-way potential. otherwise another year in Europe won't kill anyone

Williams was huge... not in a good way. Passing was fun, but makes Sullinger/Big Baby look like fitness junkies.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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At the moment Brad is finishing off the roster, it's not easy since there will rarely be minutes offered and the salary will be an NBA minimum (for 13-15 + 2-ways)... Both GSW and Miami did an exceptional job with that last season. Several other playoff teams have been adept at it. Boston/Brad was unexceptional at it, hence the "meh" description
If anyone blows up the summer league, the C's may be in a position to offer an NBA contract instead of a 2 way deal. Any small advantage.

Luckily, the C's top 9 looks much stronger on paper than last years.
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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If anyone blows up the summer league, the C's may be in a position to offer an NBA contract instead of a 2 way deal. Any small advantage.

Luckily, the C's top 9 looks much stronger on paper than last years.
Agreed, keeping a casual eye on Moses Wright. G-League MVP and Dallas 2-way last year, that got bumped out of his 2-way by a 2nd round pick this season
 

mcpickl

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Jul 23, 2007
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what part of Fitts/Stauskas/Morgan/Kornet/ Thomas/Ryan wasn't "meh" to end last season?
I mean, to be able to duck the tax (which I assume was necessary), he could only sign guys who were not on NBA rosters after the trade deadline to fill those spots.

What choices did he have? I can't imagine there were a whole lot of unearthed gems out there at that point that would've helped them.
 

Euclis20

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Rob is also elite at the whole shot blocking, lob finishing thing. I think he's still in that category of player, just near the top of the list. At times, he's flashed some great vision too but it hasn't been a big part of his game. It still makes him stand out from other pogo sticks though.

I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on Kabengele but he's most likely closer to Tacko Fall or Bruno Fernando than Luke Kornet.
Not just near the top, at this point a healthy Rob is at the very top of that particular archetype. 2nd in blocks per game, 3rd in offensive rebounds per game, and if he'd played enough to qualify, he would have been 1st in the league in TS%. He doesn't need or demand the ball to be effective, and his while his passing vision is nice if under-utilized, his midrange game is potentially going to be very effective. That's not just based on the minuscule sample size of jump shots, he shot 72% from the line this year, including 88% after the all star break (including playoffs). He's potentially the answer to the question "can players coming into this league be stars if they don't shoot 3s?"